The answer? Mango butter.

When you want one effective, natural bodycare ingredient that can be used many different ways, most people think of Shea butter, right? But if you have nut or latex allergies, you probably steer clear as Shea butter has been known to cause reaction.

A perfect substitute is Mango butter, the fatty acid that’s expeller-pressed from the seeds of mangoes. Similar to Shea butter, it’s semi-solid at room temperature and melts on contact with skin, quickly adding moisture to soften and soothe without feeling greasy.

(–> here’s a cool video showing a woman breaking open a mango seed and scooping out the butter- unfortunately, I don’t see a way to get subtitles in English so I don’t know what she’s saying, but it’s pretty fun to watch)

Mango butter is popular in beauty creams as it plumps and tightens skin, which can reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, but the attraction doesn’t stop there. It has a long history of use for many kinds of skin irritations including sunburn, rashes, chapped lips, and insect bites. Mango butter also offers a bit of topical UV protection and makes a great deep-moisturizing treatment for dry scalp and damaged hair. You can use ‘as is’ or blend with other butters and oils.

Mango butter may feel light in texture, but a clinical study on foot ailments proved it’s a heavyweight when it comes to healing. The study examined Mango butter’s reduction in amplitude of cracked heels, pain and bleeding through the cracks, degree of healing, skin re-construction, soothing, skin rehydration and action as antiseptic against the growth of resident microorganisms. It was shown to have bacteriostatic, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activity, and reduce roughness of the skin while repairing and protecting.

(the study used animal subjects, as well as human, which to my mind is ridiculous and unnecessary but that’s the scientific method for ya- the results are still interesting)

So whether you need to pack lightly for a trip or just want to declutter your bathroom cabinet, Mango butter is the perfect answer to that burning question, “How many products do we really need?”.